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February 10, 2011

How many piles of paper and open books do you have on your desk at this very moment? Do you ever wonder how and why this continues to happen? Does this scenario contribute to your overall sense of stress and impede your sense of productivity?

Most of us regularly get caught in this quagmire. At the very least, it inhibits our productivity; At worst, it stymies our effectiveness and contributes to our daily stress levels. Most would agree that there must be a better way to get things accomplished. What follows is a simple system to eliminate this problem forever.

Remember that "you can eat an elephant, one bite at a time!" Also remember that you do not ever want to handle paper more than one time if at all possible.

Here it comes... wisdom that bucks conventional thinking:

Take a moment to examine your desktop. Physically separate the "mess" into three stacks and individually label them A, B and C. Put the most immediate, most important, critical items in stack A, in order of priority. Identify less critical, yet still important items and place them in Stack B. All other items can go into Stack C. Immediately file anything in Stack C that must be kept for record-keeping purposes.

Always be working on items in Stack A, only proceeding to Stack B when the items in Stack A are completed. Delegate Stack B items when necessary.

Here's the twist... Every 30 days, slide Stack C off your desk and permanently "file" it into your trash bin! These items are no longer worthy of your time and attention. At this time, review all items in Stack B and if necessary, create a new Stack C, thus repeating the procedure. It's a simple, yet effective system!

Throughout the month, adhere to this new "priority assignment system" and watch your productivity soar while your stress levels drop!